


The Trade

by Thephantominthemists



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28127424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thephantominthemists/pseuds/Thephantominthemists
Summary: After failing to solve the Labyrinth, the new runner offers Jareth a trade for her nephew. Bored after centuries of the same thing, he accepts. What changes will this trade cause.
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Even though she had arrived at her brothers house 30 minutes later than expected, Lizzy sat in her car trying to collect herself.

" _How am I supposed to tell them this?"_ she thought sadly, looking down at the papers that detailed the bad news she had received earlier, " _Well, its official, 2020 just plain sucks!"_

Knowing there was no real point in putting it off any longer, she opened her door with a sigh, pulled her coat tighter around her and headed to the door.

"Lizzy, where have you been?!" was the greeting she got when her brother answered her knock.

"Good to see you too, Patrick," she replied drily.

"You were supposed to be here 30 minutes ago!" he kept on as if she hadn't even spoken.

"I got held up," she answered irritably, "Are Mom and Dad here yet?"

"No," Patrick answered, "And I am not expecting them to be."

"Patrick," Lizzy exclaimed, "When I called you last week, I told you I needed to talk to everyone."

"Yes, well plans changed, Lizzy," Patrick responded, "Bryan is not going to be here either and Michelle and I are on our way out in a few minutes. We need you to watch Aaron for the night."

Lizzy stared at her older brother in astonishment at hearing that neither her parents or her younger brother were there.

"How… How" she stammered, "You agreed that I could come over today so you could trick me into _**babysitting**_ for you!"

Patrick just rolled his eyes at her indignation. They had never really ever gotten along, even as children, but Lizzy was astonished at this new low.

"What I had to say to everyone was _**important**_!" she shouted, clenching her fists in anger.

"Lizzy could you stop being so selfish!" Patrick shouted back, causing Lizzy to throw her hands up in frustration, "Bryan lost his job back in July, Mom has been sick all year and you can't even watch your nephew for a few hours?! Whatever petty little news you have can wait!"

With that said, Patrick stomped off leaving Lizzy standing in front of the door, debating about just leaving when Michelle, her redheaded sister-in-law, came around the corner.

"Oh Lizzy, you are here," Michelle said, placing her coat around her shoulders, "Thank you so much for watching Aaron, you know how much he loves spending time with you."

"I didn't… oh nevermind," she sighed.

"I thought you and Patrick had talked about this last week?" Michelle asked in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," Lizzy sighed, "Where's Aaron?"

"He's in the living room watching cartoons," Michelle answered and Lizzy could hear the sing-a-long of a Disney cartoon coming from said room.

"He has already been fed and bathed," Michelle continued as Patrick came back with his own coat, "He should fall asleep in about an hour."

"Fine," Lizzy answered with a tight smile, glaring at Patrick as he ignored her and headed out the door.

"Thank you again," Michelle said softly before following her husband out.

" _Okay, not how I had planned this night to go,"_ Lizzy sighed, running her hand through her hair before heading to the living room, " _Might as well make the best of it."_

Stopping in the doorway, Lizzy watched the little blond boy before the tv happily dancing as Mickey Mouse sang something about hot dogs.

"Hey bud," Lizzy called out, causing the young boy to turn, a big smile blossoming on his small face.

"An 'Issy, An "Issy," the two year old exclaimed before grabbing a worn, red, book and running to her.

"How are you doing, little man?" she asked affectionately, picking him up with a groan, "Oh you're getting so big!"

"An 'Issy," Aaron continued, waving the book in her face, "Gobins! Gobins peas!"

Lizzy took the book from his hand and held away from her face so she could read the cover.

"Labyrinth?" she asked the toddler, recognizing the book she had found in a second hand book store a couple of months ago, "Oh you like the silly goblins, do you?"

"Ya!" the toddler exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "An Fi' ees!"

"Oh yes, of course," Lizzy nodded with an indulgent smile, "Who doesn't like the Fireys?"

"Okay then," Lizzy bent down and turned the tv off, much to the toddlers dismay, "We got to get you settled in bed if you want to hear the whole story of how Sarah beats the evil Goblin King." The promise of the story quieted the child and Lizzy carried him to his room.

* * *

""You have no power over me!" Sarah declared triumphantly and the Goblin King faded away as the crystal sphere he was offering her disintegrated into nothing," Lizzy read to her wide-eyed, not at all sleepy, nephew.

"Yay!" Aaron was once again up, clapping his hands happily.

"'Nutter story! nutter story!" he exclaimed, wiggling out of his bed to run over to his small bookshelf.

"Oh no!" Lizzy exclaimed, getting up to chase the toddler, only to have to stop halfway to catch her breath.

" _That's not good,"_ she coughed into the crook of her arm before catching up to the toddler who was currently grabbing every book he could carry.

"No, no little one," Lizzy said, trying to keep her tone jokingly light and not reveal the irritation bubbling underneath, "You need to get back to bed before the goblins get you."

"No!" the toddler cried, "No bed!"

"Aaron, enough," Lizzy said firmly, placing the toddler back in his bed where he continued to cry loudly, "It is bedtime!"

"No!" he cried again, this time reaching for the Labyrinth book again.

However this time Lizzy was faster, picking up the book before he could get to it. This only made the child cry harder and throw himself back on his bed in a full blown temper tantrum.

"Goodnight, Aaron," Lizzy said shortly, before turning and walking toward the door.

"No! More gobins!" he continued to scream, "More gobins, PEAS!"

"Oh I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!" Lizzy grumbled under her breath as she left the room, closing the door half way behind her.

As soon as she stepped out of the toddler's room there was a loud crack of thunder and all the lights in the house flickered.

" _Oh, just great,"_ she thought sarcastically, " _Just what we need, a storm knocking the electricity out!"_

It was at that moment that she realized something else. Aaron was quiet. He had been throwing a full tantrum just a moment before, there was no way he could have fallen asleep that quickly.

Turning back to the room, Lizzy quietly eased the door open.

"Aaron," she called softly, in case he had fallen asleep in the short time she had been out.

" _Weirder things have happened,"_ she reasoned to herself.

She crept further into the room, looking at the child's bed and seeing only his pile of rumpled covers.

"Aaron, you had better not be playing," she warned as another loud burst of thunder crashed overhead causing her to jump.

Finally reaching the bed, Lizzy reached down and quickly pulled the covers back, expecting to find her nephew hiding underneath. However, Aaron was not in his bed. Lizzy looked under his bed and, not finding him there, ran to the closet, and threw the door open.

"Aaron where are you!" she screamed, trying to tramp down the panic that was clutching at her throat and making it hard to breathe.

" _I wasn't out of the room that long!"_ she thought in panic, " _Where could he have gone?!"_

In that moment, as if in answer to her question, the bedroom window suddenly flew open and a large owl flew in. Lizzy threw her arms up as the owl flew at her face.

"Get out!" she screamed at the wild animal.

What happened next she was not expecting. Instead of the screech of an angry owl, a dark chuckle sounded in the room. Lizzy lowered her arms and instead of an owl she found herself facing an unfamiliar man.

"Who are you," she demanded, "And where's Aaron."

The man stared at her for a second, as if slightly confused.

"I'm the Goblin King," he declared.


	2. Chapter 2

Lizzy stared at the man that now stood in her nephew's room in shock. He was tall and slim with tufted, golden, blond hair, that reached to just below his shoulders, and fair skin. He wore what looked to be black, leather, armor over tight, black, pants tucked into tall, black boots. On his chest was some kind of symbol that looked like a triangle with horns curling out of the bottom corners. Over all this he wore a long, black cape with a high collar in the back that came to the base of his skull. In the dimness of the room, his eyes could barely be seen beneath the shadow of his bangs, but there was something about them that made Lizzy feel uneasy. The overall effect made him look like he had escaped from a Renaissance Faire or an old 80's movie set. He watched her with an arrogant smirk on his face, as if enjoying her reaction.

"You're the who?!" Lizzy sputtered, not believing what she had heard.

"The Goblin King," he said slowly as if he were speaking to an idiot.

Jareth stared at the woman in annoyance, most wishers were not this dense. He studied her for a moment, taking in her appearance. She was not that tall, the top of her head would barely reach his chin. She had long, chestnut brown, hair, fair skin, bright, hazel, eyes and a curvier figure than he was used to seeing; as Fae women tended to be slim. She was wearing a teal sweater and black jeans. What surprised him was the lack of fear she seemed to have for him.

"Are you insane!?" she shouted at him, pulling him out of his thoughts, "What have you done with Aaron? Give him back!"

Jareth raised his brows at this demand.

" _Bold little thing_ ," he thought with a smirk.

"I can't do that," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest, "What's said is said."

"What," Lizzy gasped, "What are you talking…"

" _Oh I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!"_ her own voice echoed in her ears as she stared at him in horror.

"You heard... thought," she sputtered, "You really are insane!"

" _This is getting tiresome,"_ Jareth thought with a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Lizzy, go to your car," Jareth said, "Go back to your little house and live your life. Forget about the baby."

Lizzy's jaw dropped in shock at this statement, surprised that he knew her name, before she narrowed her eyes to glare at him.

"You better give me my nephew back right now," she snarled, clenching her fists at her sides, "Before I call the Police!"

"What are they going to do?" Jareth scoffed, "Your mortal law enforcement have no authority over me!"

"Besides, I brought you a gift," he continued, a sphere appearing in his hand.

"What…" Lizzy stared at him in disbelief as the sphere seemed to appear out of thin air.

"It's just a crystal, but if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams," Jareth stated, rolling the sphere along the back of his hand, "Do you want it? Then forget about the baby."

He watched as Lizzy's eyes went from him to the crystal and back.

" _And this is the part where whatever morals they claim to cling to fall by the wayside,"_ Jareth thought condescendingly as he waited for her to grab the crystal from his hand, " _And their greed takes over. Such a pity. This one has so much promise."_

However, what happened next caught him completely by surprise as Lizzy took two steps toward him, raised her hand and slapped the crystal out of his hand with the back of hers. Jareth's eyes flew wide in shock over the unexpected action and he took in the absolutely furious expression on her face as the crystal bounced off the wall and floor before disappearing.

"Violent little thing, aren't you?" he mused.

"You give me my nephew back right now or…" Lizzy snarled through clenched teeth before Jareth cut her off.

"Or you'll what?" he challenged, "You can't really think you're a match for me, can you?"

Lizzy did not know what it was, whether it was what he had said or the arrogance in his tone, however after the bad news she had gotten today and the overall horrible week she'd had, something within her broke and she saw red. With a scream of utter frustration and anger, she dove at him with her hands outstretched, as if to strangle him, only to find herself lying in the dirt on a hillside overlooking an unfamiliar landscape with the man now standing behind her.

Jareth watched warily as the woman scrambled to her feet and stared around in shock. He could not remember the last time a wisher or runner had tried to attack him. It surprised and intrigued him.

" _This one has the potential to be very entertaining,"_ he thought with a smirk.

"If you really want your nephew back, he's there in my castle," he said, causing Lizzy to turn to face him before turning back to see a castle rising out of the center of a giant maze.

" _How in the hell did he sudden get us here?"_ Lizzy thought, taking a breath to control the fear that tried to bubble up as a thought hit her, " _He can't really be… could he?"_

"Fine!" she snapped, refusing to look at him, "It's not that far anyway!"

"It's farther than you think," his voice suddenly came from right next to her ear causing her to turn and find herself nose to nose with him as he bent over her shoulder.

Lizzy took a couple steps back to put some space between them and, in the light of the rising sun, got her first real look at his face. She could only describe it as inhumanly beautiful, with upturned eyebrows, high cheekbones and sharp features. He had some kind of silver and black markings above his eyes. In that moment she realized what it was about his eyes that made her so uncomfortable. They were mismatched, with one blue and the other green.

" _Be careful, me girl. 'E's one of da Fae,"_ she suddenly heard her Irish grandmother's voice in her head, " _They steal young women and babes away to their Underground Kingdom and theys never seen again!"_

Lizzy felt the air leave her as this realization hit, as the man circled her. She had never given any credence to her grandmother fairy stories. Believing them to be no more than old wives tales.

" _Well, I guess Grandma was right about this one,"_ she thought and continued to watch him as he stopped in front of a large, gold, clock that appeared right behind him.

"You have 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth," he stated pointing to the clock that, unlike normal clocks, went to 13 instead of 12, "Or you little nephew becomes one of us forever!"

With this said, he disappeared from sight, leaving Lizzy alone on the hill side.

"Fine," Lizzy stated again and began to pick her way down toward the Labyrinth.

* * *

Jareth appeared back at his castle, the woman named Lizzy still very much on his mind.

" _My does she have a temper,"_ he thought with a small smile, " _This should be very entertaining."_

He headed toward his throne room from which he could hear both goblin and childish laughter. Stopping in the doorway he took in the scene in front of him. In the small pit in front of his throne stood a small, blond, boy dressed in grey pajamas decorated with cartoon dogs. The boy was currently surrounded by about ten goblins, but was laughing and playing with them as if it were all normal. As Jareth approached the group the little boy turned toward him with a big smile.

"An 'Issy ook, gob…" the little boy stopped, having obviously expected his aunt, and stared up at the tall man in front of him.

His big brown eyes showed no fear whatsoever.

" _Like his aunt, it would seem,"_ Jareth thought as he picked the boy up.

The boy continued to study him for a moment before looking back at the goblins in obvious confusion.

"Gobin?" the boy asked, pointing at him and causing Jareth to smile.

"No, I'm not a goblin," he answered patiently, "I'm… different."

The little boy giggled at this statement as Jareth walked over to his throne and sat down with the boy on his lap.

"An 'Issy?" the boy asked.

"She'll be here in a little while," Jareth answered vaguely.

" _Maybe,"_ he thought, as only one person had ever solved the Labyrinth and beaten him and they did not talk about her.

Jareth only allowed himself to even think about said person once a year.

"Now, what are we going to do with you in the meantime?" he asked the little boy.

"Story!" the boy exclaimed, clapping his hands.

"You want a story?" Jareth asked, noticing the goblins settling down on the pillows and blankets in their little pit, looking eager as well.

"All right then," he answered reclining back, "Once upon a time there was a kingdom ruled over by a benevolent Goblin King…"

* * *

**13 hours later**

Jareth stared into his crystal sphere and shook his head.

"How disappointing," he said softly, "She had such potential."

He then rose from his throne with a sigh and looked down to check on the little boy who was currently asleep curled up with some of the Goblins.

" _Better to meet her in the Labyrinth first,"_ Jareth thought to himself as he left, " _Hopefully she will be calmer, so she can say her goodbye to the boy."_

On this thought, he vanished from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this should be said. I own nothing other than my OCs. Everything else belongs to the Jim Henson Co. I am just playing in the Underground!
> 
> Also this story is obviously AU. Please enjoy and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Lizzy sat in the middle of a dark room, the only source of light being the hole she had fallen through hours before. She had thought she was making good time, getting through the first part, with its glitter covered granite walls and debris everywhere, and on into the next section with it's walls and ground made of tan colored brick. She had even found some marks that looked like faded red arrows on certain bricks in the walkways. After solving the truth and lie doors, Lizzy was feeling confident that she was going to make it to the center well before the 13 hour deadline.

" _When I get there I am so going to enjoy watching that smug smirk leave his arrogant face!"_ she thought as she jogged through the door.

However, she should have known better than to think something was going her way. It was 2020 after all. Because, just as she left the doorway, the ground opened beneath her and she fell into a hole filled with hands that grabbed her as she fell. Then one bad decision later, there she was stuck in a pitch black hole. She had tried every way to get out, even considering at times that this was just a weird dream.

" _Stress can do that,"_ she had reasoned with herself.

However, that thought was viciously ripped from her mind when she tore off the first one of her fingernails trying to pry open what she had thought was a door. Now, here she sat, under the only source of light, cradling her bruised and bloody hands to her chest, having ripped off two more nails and badly scraped up both palms when she fell trying to climb back up. Lizzy rolled her eyes and groaned as she tried her best to ignore the living, _**talking**_ , hands above her and the absolutely terrible hand jokes that they kept shouting down.

"Hey! Hey! You listening?" another group of hands shouted down to her, "So one said to the other "I have got to **hand** it to you!" Get it! Get it! HAND!"

" _And I thought the jokes my Dad told were bad,"_ she groaned before she noticed that everything had suddenly gone eerily quiet.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she looked around the dark room.

" _What now?"_ she thought.

"Well, you didn't get very far, did you?" The Goblin King's mocking voice suddenly surrounded her, "So much for all that bravado."

"Where…" Lizzy started to say when a doorway opened to her right.

She turned her head away from the bright sunlight that poured in since, after so many hours in the dark room, the light hurt her eyes. When her eyes adjusted and she turned back, there was the Goblin King casually leaning back against one side of the door with that same smug look on his face. Lizzy charged forward two steps before stopping herself, remembering what had happened last time she had attacked this man without thinking.

"Where's Aaron?!" she yelled.

"Still so demanding," Jareth mused, "Have you learned nothing?"

Lizzy clenched her fists in anger before a sharp pain reminded her of their injured state causing her to wince sharply. Seeing the wince, Jareth looked down and noticed her hands. They were bruised, bloody, and it appeared that she was missing at least three fingernails. Her right sleeve was also torn and he could see a nasty scrape running from her wrist to halfway up her forearm. On the wall behind her, he could see streaks of blood going up the wall.

" _She got close,"_ he thought, seeing that she had only been about a foot from the hole in top of the room before she obviously fell, " _Definitely going to have to get her cleaned up before she sees the boy. There's no need for him to see her like this."_

"Where is Aaron?" Lizzy asked again, trying and failing to sound calmer.

"I have already told you," Jareth responded, "He's at my castle."

" I have run your stupid maze," Lizzy snarled, taking a step closer, "You've had your fun at my expense. Now give him back!"

Jareth raised his brows at this.

" _Does she really not understand?"_ he sighed.

"You _**failed**_ to solve the Labyrinth in the 13 hours I gave you and by all rights I should just send you back to your realm," Jareth pointed out and watched as the reality of the situation fell on her, "However, if you would be a bit more respectful, I will let you see him before you go."

Lizzy turned her head away and took a few calming breaths and Jareth could have sworn he saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Let me see him… Please," she finally got out without looking at him.

"That's better," Jareth hummed, though he could still hear the anger that she was holding back.

Lizzy turned to glare at him when suddenly everything blurred around them and she was driven to her knees by the dizziness that it brought on. When it stopped and Lizzy was able to climb back to her feet, she saw that they were now in a large room with a curved throne.

"A little warning would have been nice," she whispered, ignoring the smirk that came to his face.

The next thing she noticed was the cessation of pain and looked down to see that her hands and arm were now healed and her sleeve repaired. Lizzy was about to ask why he had bothered when movement behind her caught her attention. In a little pit in front of the throne there were several goblins looking over at her curiously. Lizzy took a step back before she spotted Aaron among them.

"An Issy," the little boy called, crawling out of the pit.

"AARON!" Lizzy yelled before running to her nephew, falling to her knees, and pulling him into a tight hug with tears running unabashedly down her face.

"I am so sorry," she cried.

"An 'Issy!" the toddler protested against her tight hold.

Lizzy loosened her hold on him slightly and Aaron looked at her.

"An 'Issy, no cry," he said, patting her wet cheeks and looking confused, "It okay."

"Everyone out," the Goblin King ordered from behind her, causing Lizzy to clutch Aaron tighter to her.

With a few grumbles, the goblins all got up and exited the throne room.

"I will give you 5 minutes to say goodbye," Jareth stated, walking over to his throne, "Then I will send you back to your realm."

He sat down and turned away from the woman and child, not wanting to watch the emotional display. She was for sure not the first runner to be emotional when being forced to leave the child they had wished away. So why did her distress bother him so much? Jareth just shook his head at his wayward feelings and waited for her to finish.

"No! You can't have him!" he was shocked to hear from behind him, "I won't let you take him."

He turned to find Lizzy now standing defiantly having placed Aaron behind her. Her very posture screaming of protectiveness.

"You're not going to let me?" Jareth asked incredulously, rising slowly to face her, "Surely by now you realize it is foolish to challenge me. I am far stronger than you."

Lizzy took a step back as the Goblin King slowly approached, keeping Aaron securely behind her.

"Using your strength on someone weaker than you, doesn't prove you are powerful," Lizzy responded, "It just proves you are a bully."

"So what are you going to do?" he asked, now thoroughly intrigued by this woman who had now twice fearlessly faced him in protection of her nephew, "How are you going to keep me from taking him."

Lizzy's face went pale and he could see her grappling for a response.

"What… what about a trade," Lizzy stuttered coming up with the only thing she could think of to save Aaron, "My life for his."

"You," Jareth replied, raising a brow at her, "You would take his place, not knowing what will happen. Do you really love him that much?"

"Yes." she said with certainty, taking a step away from Aaron, "I don't care what you do to me, just let him go home."

Jareth studied her for a long moment. She was not the first runner to offer such a trade, but she was the first one to do it with such conviction. Again this woman intrigued him.

" _Hmmm… it won't be boring around here any more,"_ he thought as he continued to study her, " _At least for a little while."_

Lizzy did her best to not squirm under the intense scrutiny as the Goblin King's mismatched eyes seemed to try to peer into her very soul.

" _Why hasn't he said anything?"_ she wondered, entertaining the thought of just grabbing Aaron and trying to run as far away as she could.

"You understand you would have to stay forever," Jareth stated, trying to gauge her reaction, "The rest of your life."

"It's only forever," she replied with a startling sad smile, "Not that long at all, is it?"

Jareth was taken aback by this.

" _How can she say that so calmly?"_ he wondered, " _Most mortals would be shaking in utter terror at the thought."_

"Are you sure you want to do this? Making a deal with a Fae?" Jareth asked, stepping within arms reach, "I could be planning anything."

Lizzy swallowed the fear that tried to rise up in her at the vaguely threatening smile that spread across his face, showing off slightly pointed canines. She then turned to look at Aaron, who had long since grown bored of the adult conversation and toddled off to play with something in the small pit.

"I don't care," she replied steadily, "Just send him home."

"Fine, we have an agreement then," The Goblin King replied, extending his hand.

Refusing to break eye contact, Lizzy reached for his hand only for him to reach past and grab her wrist with his gloved hand. With only the smallest gasp of surprise, she followed suit; grasping his wrist. At that moment, magic encircled their hands forming an unending glowing gold infinity symbol.

"The deal is sealed," Jareth declared, releasing his grip, "You best say goodbye now."

Lizzy stepped back, once again dizzy from the magic that had just surrounded her.

"Aaron," she called, taking an unsteady step away as the dizziness dissipated.

"An 'Issy," the little boy ran over, "We go 'ome now?"

"You are," she said kneeling in front of him, "Never forget, I love you so much."

"An 'Issy," Aaron's little brow furrowed in confusion, "You come!"

"I can't," she replied tearfully, giving him one last hug, "Goodbye, bud."

"An 'Issy, NO!" Aaron cried, "An 'Is…"

Lizzy turned her head as Aaron disappeared from her arms and tried to staunch the tears running down her face. She then took a deep breath, drying her tears, she rose and turned to face the Goblin King.

"Whatever you are going to do," she said lowly, "Just get it over with."

Jareth brows raised at this, again surprised by the way this woman seemed to want to meet everything head on.

"I have never met a mortal so eager to meet their fate," he mused, slowly circling her, "The truth is I have not decided what I am going to do with you yet."

"What!" Lizzy gasped.

"You are just going to have to wait and see," he replied with a wink as mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Wait a…" Lizzy started before everything began to blur around her again.

She stumbled forward as dizziness overwhelmed her for a third time. When it dissipated she found herself in a very dark room again.

"Where…" she began before a familiar, annoying voice interrupted.

"Hey look who's back," it chortled, "Little miss no sense of humor. Hey I got another joke for you!"

"NO!" Lizzy yelled at finding herself back in the very same dark hole she had fallen into hours before.

She then clasped her hands over her ears in a vain attempt to block out the voices from above, sliding down the wall to sit and await her fate.


	4. Chapter 4

Jareth reclined on his throne with one leg carelessly thrown over the arm and gazed into a crystal sphere, continuing to observe the young woman he had sent back to the Oubliette. He had initially sent her there because he had no idea of what to do with her once their deal had been struck. He had agreed to her trade because he had found the fact that, unlike other mortals he had come into contact with, she was unafraid of him...Interesting. Though, if truth be told, he was just plain bored and found her reactions and temper to be entertaining. However, now that several hours had passed, he found he still did not know what to do with her.

" _Can't do with her like with the children,"_ he thought, his gaze leaving the sphere to stare pensively out the window, " _Too old."_

Jareth scowled as he continued to gaze out the window, tapping his crop against his boot as he tried to come up with something.

" _Can't just leave her in the Oubliette, she'll not last longer than a couple of weeks,"_ he thought with a sigh, " _Then how entertaining would that be?"_

A sudden, wheezy, cough pulled Jareth's attention back to the crystal in his left hand. Lizzy had fallen asleep in a corner a few hours ago and was still there, curled in a ball with her head resting on her arm. After he had sent her back he had expected tears and begging to be let out, instead she had paced around the dark room, obviously looking for a way out, before sitting down in the corner. Before settling down, she had pulled what looked to be a small, folding, blade from her pocket. After looking at it for a moment, as if she were as surprised as he had been at its presence, she had then proceeded to cut a long strip from the bottom of her sweater. He had then watched in fascination as she cut the strip in half and then rolled both halves into small balls and proceeded to stuff them into her ears. He could not hold back his quiet laughter at her triumphant smirk as she laid her head on her arm and finally fell asleep. Jareth narrowed his eyes when the young woman coughed again in her sleep.

" _She had better not be falling ill,"_ he thought before a loud **crash** from the hall pulled his attention from the young woman.

"YOU TWO ARE USELESS!" he heard a goblin screech.

"GET OUT!" the screeching continued, "KINGY FIND SOMEONE ELSE!"

Jareth shook his head at what sounded like someone being dismissed from the castle and turned back to the crystal.

" _Ah, that could work,"_ he thought, a smirk coming to his face as he rose to find out just who had been dismissed, " _And it could prove very entertaining!"_

* * *

Lizzy shifted on the cold, stone, floor, trying to find a comfortable position.

" _At least I can't hear those annoying hands any more,"_ she thought, as she had been pleasantly surprised to find she still had her Swiss Army pocket knife on her, enabling her to create makeshift earplugs to block out the voices above the room she was in.

" _I wonder how long I will be in here,"_ she thought with a yawn, having finally found a semi-comfortable position. However, just as she was starting to fall back to sleep, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her.

" _Oh no!"_ she thought as she tried to push herself up right in hopes of catching her bearings.

Unfortunately, the wall she had been leaning against suddenly disappeared from behind her causing her to fall flat on her back. She blinked her eyes a few times before the dizziness finally went away and sat up only to find herself staring up at the Goblin King who was currently smirking down at her from his throne.

"Good morning," he said almost pleasantly as she glared at him while climbing to her feet and discreetly reached into her pocket.

"Oh, don't worry," he said, holding out his hand to reveal her pocket knife, "You won't be needing this."

"Great, you've been watching me," she stated sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, also having realized that the fabric was gone from her ears, "Wonderful! Now I feel like an animal at the zoo!"

"Did you not enjoy your time in the Oubliette?" Jareth replied with a smirk causing Lizzy to grit her teeth in anger when she realized he was laughing at her.

"Now comes the question of what to do with you, Lizzy," Jareth said, rising from his throne to slowly circle her.

"My name is Elizabeth!" Lizzy snapped, turning so that she was facing him.

"Ah, only your friends get to call you Lizzy, is that it?" he asked with a raised brow, "And we are not… friends?"

"Not hardly!" she replied, curling her lip in disgust.

"What a pity," he countered, "It would certainly make things so much easier for you if we were."

"I don't care," Lizzy snapped, "All I care about is that Aaron is safely away from you!"

"No need to worry," Jareth replied with a wave of his hand, "The boy is safe."

"And I am just supposed to believe you?" Lizzy scoffed, "How do I know you actually sent him home?"

"Are you questioning my honor?" Jareth snapped actually sounding offended, "Did I not give you my word?"

"Oh, forgive me, Your Highness," Lizzy replied in a voice literally dripping in sarcasm and placed a hand dramatically to her chest, "I did not mean to disparage the character of the man…"

"Who _**kidnapped**_ my nephew," she snarled through clenched teeth.

"If I recall," Jareth reminded her, finding himself enjoying this little back and forth, "You wished him away."

"You're an opportunist," she snapped angrily, "I did not mean that and you know it!"

"Oh, you didn't," Jareth replied sarcastically with a smirk as Lizzy glared at him, "But if it will make you more cooperative."

With a flick of his wrist, Jareth made a crystal sphere appear, then traced a finger lightly over the top causing it to glow foggy white. He then shocked Lizzy by tossing it to her. She instinctively caught it, her fingers closing around the smooth sphere before looking between it and the Goblin King in confusion.

"Since you don't seem to be the trusting sort," the Goblin King said in answer to her unspoken question, "You direct it. That way you will know I am not lying."

Lizzy again looked down at the crystal in her hand, unsure of what to do.

"How…" she began.

"Just think about what you want to see and the magic will show you," the Goblin King replied, sounding almost bored now.

Lizzy looked back down at the crystal in her hand in disbelief before sighing.

" _What do I have to lose?"_ she thought before focusing on the crystal, " _Did Aaron get sent home safely?"_

The crystal suddenly got warmer in her hand as the fog inside disappeared to reveal Aaron asleep in his bed. Lizzy covered her mouth with her free hand and fought back tears.

"Thank you so much for watching him, Megan," Michelle's voice was suddenly heard.

" _Who's Megan?"_ Lizzy thought and, as if responding to her thought, the picture in the crystal shifted to show two women standing in the doorway to Aaron's room. One of them was Lizzy's sister-in-law and the other was a younger, blonde, girl that Lizzy recognized as a teenager that lived down the street from her brother.

"Did he behave?" Michelle asked as the two watched the sleeping toddler.

"Oh, he's a little doll, Mrs. O'Connell," Megan answered with a smile, "Though he woke up a couple of hours ago crying for "An 'Issy?". I didn't know he had an aunt."

"He doesn't, he overheard us talking with Patrick's parents about names for our daughter that will be born in a few months, " Michelle sighed with a shake of her head, "Patrick's mother had said that if she had ever had a girl her name would have been Elizabeth and they would have called her Lizzy. Ever since then he has asked about his Aunt Lizzy."

"Oh, that makes more sense…" Megan's voice stopped as the picture faded, leaving Lizzy staring at the now clear crystal in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked looking at the Goblin King in horror, "What did you do?!"

"That's how the magic works." he answered, "When a mortal stays here in the Underground, the memory of their existence is wiped from the mortal realm."

"What!" Lizzy gasped, "My… my family. They… they don't remember me?"

The shock from hearing this almost overwhelmed her in that moment. Sure, she may not have gotten along with her older brother, but she had been close to her parents and had a good relationship with her younger brother, Bryan. This was the reason she had been struggling with how to tell them the bad news she had gotten.

"I am not the cruel monster you seem to think. I would not let an entire family suffer for years looking for a missing child," Jareth responded, watching Lizzy's reaction closely, "Usually only the wisher or runner remembers the child they sent away."

"But Aaron remembers," Lizzy responded softly.

"Yes, well he is only what, two years old? I suspect he will forget in time," he replied with a shrug and continued to watch Lizzy, her reaction to this news confusing him.

" _She was cruel enough to wish her own nephew away,"_ Jareth mused to himself as he continued to study her, " _And yet she now appears distraught at the news that her family have forgotten her. Can she really be that selfish?"_

"Are you satisfied that I have kept my end of the bargain?" Jareth asked as Lizzy continued to collect herself.

"Yes," Lizzy answered, now that she had recovered from the shock.

" _At least this will be easier… on everyone,"_ she thought as she waited for the Goblin King to exact her side of the bargain, " _Maybe being a goblin won't be so bad."_

Lizzy stiffened and it took all her self control to not take a step back as the Goblin King suddenly took a few steps toward her.

"Whatever you are going to do" she stated lowly, "Just get it over with!"

"Oh, you sound like you expect your fate to be a swift one," the Goblin King responded with a mischievous smirk, "Well I hate to disappoint you, but I have other plans."

"What are you…" Lizzy began only for a wave of dizziness to overwhelm her.

She staggered to the side and grabbed onto a wall to remain upright. When the dizziness dissipated, she noted with surprise that her clothes were now different… and that she was still human. She was now wearing a long sleeved, off-white dress with a dark, brown, sleeveless kirtle, that had lacing up the chest, over top. It looked exactly like Cinderella's maid outfit.

"What… what…" she stammered, now completely confused, as this was not what she had been expecting, "What is this?"

"Well, that would be a broom," the Goblin King answered sarcastically, pointing to the object now in her right hand.

"I know what this is, Smartass!" she snapped at him, "What are you intending me to do? Clean your house?!"

"Well, yes," Jareth responded, laughing to himself at her reaction, "I had two maids dismissed today. You will be taking their place."

Lizzy raised her brows at this but decided that it would be best to remain silent for the moment.

" _It could be worse, Lizzy,"_ she thought to herself.

"You will note that there are very few rules here," Jareth continued, "only two actually."

"Really," Lizzy replied, crossing her arms over her chest, "And they would be?"

"The room at the top of those stairs," Jareth answered, indicating the stairs to the left, "Stay out! No one is allowed in there."

Lizzy raised her brows at his sudden mood shift.

" _He's hiding something up there,"_ she thought, while eyeing him curiously.

"Fine," she replied, carefully keeping her thoughts to herself, "And the other?"

"Stay out of my chambers," Jareth answered, suspicious of her quick acceptance of the first rule, "I prefer my privacy. That is unless you were hoping to see the inside of my rooms. In that case I could arrange a personal tour…"

Jareth enjoyed watching as Lizzy's eyes flew wide and her face flushed dark red at his insinuation.

"NO!" she sputtered, "Not even in your wildest dreams!"

"Really," Jareth replied, taking a step closer and all the self control in the world could not have kept Lizzy from taking a step back, "You have no idea what I dream about, so what would be your basis for comparison."

Lizzy kept backing away as he continued to approach until her back hit a wall and she had nowhere else to go.

"I...I" she stammered, trying to come up with a retort while mentally beating herself up for allowing herself to have been verbally placed in a no win situation.

" _Really! You grew up with two brothers and you allowed this creep to talk you into a corner like this!"_ she ranted at herself.

After backing her up to the wall, Jareth stopped less than a hand span away and cocked his head to the side, clearly enjoying her reaction. Taking particular note of the fact that Lizzy's face was still a deep shade of red and that she was avoiding looking at him.

" _This is going to be_ **very** _entertaining!"_ he thought with a small smile as he turned and walked toward the door.

Lizzy stayed where she was for a moment, finally feeling that she could catch her breath.

"You can start cleaning in here," the Goblin King said, pulling Lizzy's attention back to him, "Sissy will be here in a little while. She will make sure you know what to do."

"Who…" Lizzy started to ask only to be cut off.

"Also, do something with these blasted chickens," Jareth continued as if Lizzy had not spoken, pushing a chicken out of his way with the toe of his boot, "I am tired of seeing these filthy birds in my throne room."

"Who is Sissy?" Lizzy asked, "And what do you expect me to do with the…"

Lizzy looked over only to realize she was alone in the throne room.

"Just when I thought my life could not get any worse," she groaned, before glaring over at the chicken currently scratching around in the small pit as if it were the cause of all her troubles.

"You had better hope that there is a coop somewhere around here," she grumbled at it, "Or you're gonna end up Kentucky fried!"


	5. Chapter 5

Lizzy stood looking around the large room in frustration, trying to figure out where to start and still had no idea what she was supposed to do with the chickens that did not involve gathering them up and pitching them out the window, when the door suddenly opened. Turning quickly, she steeled herself for whatever she would have to face next.

" _What now"_ she thought only to stare in surprise and confusion at the small person that came through the door.

It was obviously a goblin with a round face, greyish skin, and large, yellow, eyes.

"You must be the new cleanie girl," it spoke in a higher, obviously feminine, pitched voice, causing Lizzy to continue to stare at her.

"Kingy said you would be in here," the goblin continued, raising a thin brow when Lizzy did not answer.

"Yes," Lizzy replied, coming out of her surprise, "I'm guessing that you're Sissy."

"Yup," Sissy answered, circling Lizzy, examining her from top to bottom as if she were a beast of burden or article she was considering buying.

Sissy was considerably shorter than Lizzy, only coming to her elbow, had thin, grey, hair that was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head and wore a dress similar to the one Lizzy now wore.

"You'll do," Sissy said, with a sharp nod, "Kingy tell you to start in here?"

"Uh… yes," Lizzy replied, feeling a little taken aback by the little goblin's no nonsense attitude.

"Good, it's filthy in here. The guards that hang out here with Kingy are slobs," Sissy sniffed in disgust, examining the room with a critical eye for what needed to be done, "Clean out that first and leave the cushions outside the door. The washing girls will come get them."

Sissy gestured to the small pit in front of the throne as she spoke.

"Okay… _He_ wanted something done with the chickens," Lizzy stated, ignoring how Sissy raised a brow at the way she referenced the King, "Now I hope there is a coop around here… unless you were planning on cooking them all for supper."

Sissy turned and looked at the girl, her sarcasm surprising her. She walked up to Lizzy, took ahold of her wrist, and gave her a sharp tug, giving her no choice but to kneel down at her level. Sissy studied the woman for a long moment before, deciding she liked her spunk, a smirk came to her round face.

"You will do," she stated, patting Lizzy's cheek with a small hand, "Come, I will show you where the coop is."

Lizzy rose to her feet, feeling that she had just, somehow, earned the little goblin's approval and followed her out the door.

"What's your name?" Sissy asked as she led the way out of the Throne room and downstairs.

"Elizabeth," Lizzy answered, trying to pay attention to where they were heading so she would remember the way back.

"Elith… Elizi…" Sissy struggled to pronounce and Lizzy sighed.

"Just call me Lizzy," she gave in.

"Ah, yes, that is much easier," Sissy replied with a grin as they made their way out of a long hall, into the large kitchens, through another door and down a back hall, and out a back door.

* * *

Forty minutes later, Lizzy was back in the throne room, having rounded up ten chickens and relocated them to their coop, much to the dissatisfaction of one goblin guard named Gruff. Gruff looked like a cross between a goblin and a chimpanzee, with red eyes and only three fingers on each hand, and seemed to consider the chickens as his pets. Therefore, Lizzy had to listen to his complaining of her "locking them up" until she had finally pointed out that they had plenty of clean, warm , bedding, ample water and food, and were much safer. Finally, Lizzy was able to start on the task of cleaning the throne room and, having dragged in a large, wicker, basket that had been placed outside the doors, started pulling the cushions and blankets out of the small pit.

" _Uggg… yuck,"_ she thought, wrinkling her nose in disgust, " _Maybe it would be better to burn these and just bathe the goblins!"_

Having worked for the USDA as an inspector for the last four years, Lizzy had thought she had a pretty strong stomach. However, the smell that came out of those cushions nearly proved her wrong.

Taking a deep breath and pushing through, as this was probably either a test or just another way for the King to use her for entertainment, Lizzy finally pushed the filled basket out into the hall for the laundry women to collect. She then set about sweeping the rotten food, straw and dried chicken droppings from the floor, cleaned and dusted the upper shelves and perches, and finally scrubbed and mopped the floor before replacing the now clean cushions. The sun was just starting to set, the gold beams coming through the west facing window, when she finished. Looking around, Lizzy gave a nod, feeling strangely satisfied at how much better the room looked… and smelled.

" _I guess I should go find Sissy,"_ she thought tiredly as she turned to go. Only to find the King standing right behind her.

Lizzy jumped back with a loud yelp of fright, causing Jareth to smirk at her reaction. He watched as Lizzy pressed a hand over her heart as she tried to recover.

"Don't do that!" she snarled at him as his smirk widened.

Finally, he turned away to observe the job she had done and was very surprised at how thorough a cleaning she had done.

"Well, well, would you look at this," he drawled, running a gloved finger over a nearby shelf, "Leave you alone for several hours and the castle is still standing."

Lizzy bit the inside of her cheek to keep from replying and rolled her eyes as she watched him circle the room. This went on for several minutes, before he finally went to lazily lounge on his throne. He sat there for a while, staring out the window and giving all the appearance of having forgotten she was there. Finally, Lizzy gave an irritated sigh causing him to turn to her with a look that said he was surprised she was still there. Though the smirk that came to his face at seeing her irritation would suggest otherwise.

"Oh, you can go," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand that had Lizzy grinding her teeth in anger, "I am sure Sissy has more for you."

Jareth watched in amusement as Lizzy gave him a tight smile before, with the barest inclination of her head, spun on her heel, angrily snatched up the cleaning tools and stormed out of the Throne room.

* * *

Lizzy grumbled all the way downstairs and tried to not fantasize about how much she would love to wipe that arrogant smirk right off his face.

" _Just take a deep breath, Lizzy"_ she thought as she placed the broom, mop, and bucket in the closet that Sissy had pointed out earlier, purposefully ignoring the pain and coughing said action caused, " _Thinking like that is not going to do you any good."_

Lizzy closed the door and entered the kitchens, looking for and finding Sissy tending to something on one of the stoves. Though medieval in design, the kitchens were actually fitted with a surprising amount of modern appliances that made Lizzy just shake her head.

" _Nothing makes sense here,"_ she thought with a shake of her head before she called out to get Sissy's attention.

"You done?" Sissy asked, turning from the stove.

"Yes," Lizzy replied, trying to not rub at the headache already starting to build at her temples, "What else do I need to do?"

"Supper bout ready," Sissy replied, with a thoughtful frown, "We done for the day. You go wash up."

"I'm not really hungry," Lizzy answered tiredly, "I really just want to go lay down."

"Oh," Sissy responded, a slight worried look coming to her face, "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired," Lizzy answered.

"Okay," Sissy replied, still looking worried as she watched the young woman walk slowly through the door to the back hallway and the servants quarters. Sissy continued to stare at the door for a few moments, before shrugging her little shoulders. _"Maybe foregoing meals is normal for her,"_ she thought, as she knew little of the habits of mortals and turned back to the stove.

* * *

Lizzy entered the tiny room that Sissy had pointed out as her's on the way back from the chicken coop. The only furniture inside was a small bed, a table and a dresser. Turning on the light, Lizzy closed the door and leaned against it, trying to not give into the despair she felt clawing at her at the thought that this was where she would be spending the rest of her life. Pushing away from the door, Lizzy stopped and blinked in surprise at the sight of a large box sitting on the foot of the bed. Walking over, she looked at it curiously, before opening it and giving a derisive snort at its contents. It looked like someone had gone to her house and just thrown odds and ends in it with no thought of what she would actually need. For example there was the plastic nose plug she used while swimming sitting next to her toothbrush and an unopened three pack of toothpaste. There were several framed pictures as well. One of her and her brothers with their grandparents before they had passed that brought a bittersweet smile to her face.

" _Oh, Grandma, how I wish you were here,"_ she thought, staring down at her Grandmother's slightly mischievous smile, " _You would know how to get me out of this mess."_

The next picture was one of her favorites. It showed her, asleep on the couch in her parents living room with a two day old Aaron asleep on her chest. Lizzy smiled at both pictures, before placing them both on her dresser, regret for ever saying the words that brought her here burning in her chest. Shaking off the feeling, Lizzy turned back to the box and continued to empty it. Moving it off the bed, she sat down and picked up the last picture confused, as it was caked in dust as if it had not been handled in a while. Brushing the dust from the glass, Lizzy gasped at the sight of the two smiling faces, having thought she had thrown this picture away months ago. Pain lanced through her and she threw the picture hard against the wall, shattering the glass.

" _That was a sick, cruel, joke!"_ she thought in anger, as the tears she had been holding back were suddenly falling down her face, " _If he thinks he will break me, he has another thing coming!"_

On that thought, Lizzy cleaned up the glass and threw it and the picture, frame and all, in the box to be thrown in the trash. She then changed, turned out the light, climbed in bed and prayed sleep would come quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

The next two months were hard on Lizzy as she worked to learn the schedule and rhythms of the castle. Sissy would loudly thump her door early in the morning, before the sun was even up, yelling for her to get up. Lizzy learned quickly the first couple of days to not lay in bed too long, as she shared a bathroom with five other goblin maids. After getting up and dressed, Lizzy would go tend to the chickens, a job that she did not mind as it was something she had done frequently with her grandmother when they visited the rural farm in the Irish countryside that had been her father's childhood home. After tending to the chickens and bringing in any eggs she had found, she would get her work assignments from Sissy before sitting down to breakfast. Unfortunately for Lizzy, The King, usually accompanied by his steward Alaric, who was a fea man that was slightly shorter than the King but still taller than Lizzy, with black hair and dark blue eyes, also ate breakfast with everyone else.

" _Of course, it makes sense for a King to be eating with his servants,"_ Lizzy grumbled that first morning as she sat as far away from him as she could and kept her eyes on her plate so as to not draw his attention.

" _About as much sense as a medieval castle that has electricity and indoor plumbing,"_ she continued, though she was thankful for the last two, as it meant she got to bathe regularly.

However, no matter how hard she tried to make herself inconspicuous, the King seemed to take delight in goading her and then enjoying her reactions. This, along with learning that time moved a little differently in the Goblin Kingdom, which meant acclimating to twenty-six hour days, left Lizzy so tired she literally fell into bed, exhausted, at the end of the day. Unfortunately, she also discovered that coffee was near unheard of in the Goblin Kingdom.

"Coffee?" Sissy had replied back in confusion when she had asked, "Nope, Kingy likes tea."

Lizzy tried her best to push through the withdrawals, but finally found she could not go on without _**something**_. This led to her being awake one morning before everyone else, because of a bad headache and horrible, deep, pain in her hip, searching the kitchen for the tea that Sissy had mentioned.

" _Magical kingdom full of Fea and Goblins, but doesn't have coffee,"_ she thought irritably as she continued to search the cabinets, " _Things cannot get any worse."_

"Looking for something?" Jareth asked, having stood in the doorway, cup of tea in hand, watching her for a few moments.

Lizzy groaned, placing her head in her hands at the sound of his voice.

" _Of course, don't ever think things can't get any worse, Lizzy,"_ she thought with a sigh, " _Because, obviously, they can."_

"Oh, not feeling particularly chipper this morning, are we," Jareth taunted.

He had been surprised to find Lizzy up and searching the kitchens for something while still in her night clothes.

"It's called caffeine withdrawals, Your Highness," Lizzy snarled back sarcastically, glaring over her shoulder at him, "You should try it sometime."

"No, I don't think I will," he retorted before taking a slow, deliberate sip of his tea.

Lizzy continued to glare at Jareth for a few more moments before the standoff was broken by Sissy coming in.

"Oh Kingy," Sissy said in surprise at seeing him in the Kitchens before her, "You need something."

"No," he replied, a smirk coming to his face as he nodded toward Lizzy, "But Lizzy might."

Lizzy stiffened and ground her teeth at his use of her nickname causing Jareth to snicker a bit.

"Lizzy," Sissy turned, even more surprised to see her up, "You up so early."

"Yeah, I was just looking for…" Lizzy trailed off with a wave of her hand, deliberately ignoring the King.

"Coffee," Sissy filled in, "Sorry, I could not find any."

"It's alright," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Then, with one last, withering, glare at the King, Lizzy turned and headed back to her room, all the while grumbling under her breath and slamming the door behind her.

Jareth laughed quietly at her show of temper.

"Kingy, you should not tease her so," Sissy rebuked softly, though unable to hide the smile that came to her face.

It was good to see Kingy happy about something, considering how close they were to a certain date. Jareth gave a snort before heading to his seat at the head of the table to be served his breakfast. Sitting down, he found Sissy's comment to Lizzy coming back to mind and with a small smirk he rolled a crystal along the back of his hand before gazing into it.

Coming back from tending the chickens, Lizzy flipped her waist length braided hair back over her shoulder before giving the eggs to Sissy and listening to what she was to do after breakfast. Finally, she headed for her usual seat at the far end of the long table only to stop in her tracks and stare for a moment. Sitting next to her empty plate was a large, stoneware, mug; steam curling off of whatever it held. Sitting down in her chair, Lizzy glace covertly over at the King, but he seemed to not even be aware she had arrived and was in a deep conversation with Alaric over some kind of paperwork. She picked up the mug and gave it a cautionary sniff.

" _Coffee,"_ she all but sighed before taking a hesitant sip.

Surprise filled her at finding it to be exactly how she would have prepared it at home, with peppermint mocha creamer and plenty of sugar. She glanced again at the King, now totally confused as to why he would do this, but too relieved to care at the moment.

Jareth watched out of the corner of his eye as Lizzy sighed and seemed to relax, slowly savoring the drink, a small smirk coming to his face. He could not answer why it felt right to do this one small kindness for her.

" _Can't have her stumbling about half exhausted all the time,"_ he reasoned before turning back to his conversation with Alaric, " _She would never get any work done."_

With everything occupying her mind for the first two months, Lizzy completely forgot all about the box and picture that she wanted to get rid of until one night she stumbled into it coming in from a shower and wound up picking a small shard of glass from her foot.

The next morning, she took the box and tossed it in with all the other refuse that would be sorted into items to be burned and what would be dumped in the Wide Tract of Rottenness just beyond the walls of the Goblin City. These were left there to be picked over by the scavenger goblins looking for anything remotely valuable to be collected or sold. With this finally taken care of, Lizzy went about her day without giving it another thought. After lunch she was just receiving instructions from Sissy about cleaning certain guest chambers, on Alaric's request, when another maid entered the kitchens.

"Oh, look," the maid exclaimed, waving something in the air, "Look what I found!"

"What is it, Pansy," Lizzy asked distractedly, her attention still focused on the instructions that Sissy was giving her.

"Is this you, Lizzy," Pansy asked, studying the item in her hand.

"Is what me…" Lizzy began, turning to look at Pansy before gasping in shock at seeing the picture in her hand.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!" she exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

"Outside in a box," Pansy answered, confused by Lizzy's reaction.

"Give that here," Lizzy said urgently knowing she was getting strange looks from everyone in the room over her reaction, "That was supposed to be destroyed."

"What was?" Jareth, having been drawn by Lizzy's shriek, asked as he entered the room.

" _No, No, NO!"_ Lizzy thought desperately as she dove to snatch the picture out of Pansy's hand, only for it to disappear before she could even touch it.

She then turned to face Jareth as he studied the picture curiously.

"Give that back," Lizzy demanded tightly.

"Give it back?" Jareth repeated back to her mockingly, "But I believe Pansy had it first."

Lizzy clenched her jaw at his tone and tried to remain calm.

"I tossed that out so it would be destroyed," she stated.

"Why would you want to destroy this?" he asked, raising a brow at her, "You actually look happy for once."

"That's my business," she ground out, "Now give it here."

Jareth studied her for a moment, also noticing Pansy slowly creeping out the door to the back hall, a slight smirk coming to his face as he realized that Lizzy was trying to hide something. Something that involved the picture in his hand.

"Who is this in the picture with you?" he asked and watched as Lizzy's face went pale causing him to smirk in triumph at having his hunch confirmed.

"That's none of your business," Lizzy answered quickly, feeling her heart beat increase.

" _I am not going to give him anymore ammunition to use against me!"_ she thought angrily.

"Oh, really," he responded, thoroughly enjoying how unsettled she seemed to be, "This is my castle, so I believe everything is _**my business.**_ "

"Not this!" Lizzy shot back.

"Who is he?" Jareth asked again, "Brother?"

"Stop!" Lizzy replied.

"Friend?" he continued.

"Please, stop!" she pleaded, feeling herself getting short of breath the more he pushed.

"Boyfriend?" he asked again, ignoring her pleas.

"Would you just stop!" she exclaimed.

"Why don't you just tell me about him instead?" Jareth question with a smirk.

Lizzy would pinpoint later that it was the arrogance in his tone that finally broke her

"BECAUSE IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" she yelled at him, slamming her hands on the island counter that separated them.

"LIZZY!" Sissy gasped, shocked at the way she had just spoken to Kingy.

Lizzy turned her head away, hands clenched into fists, her breath coming in short, quick gasps. She then sent Jareth one more, hate filled, glare before turning on heel and leaving the Kitchens. Jareth stood with his brows raised, honestly surprised by the vehemence of Lizzy's reaction before looking back at the picture.

" _I wonder what it is about this picture that she is hiding?"_ he thought before it vanished from his hand to be saved for another time.

"Kingy, I'm so sorry," Sissy stammered, "I'll go talk to her."

* * *

Lizzy slammed the door to her room and leaned against it, trying to catch her breath as a coughing fit, brought on by her gasping breaths, nearly overwhelmed her. She pushed herself away from the door and walked to her dresser where the medication that the doctor had prescribed, and whoever had packed the box from her house had thankfully thrown in, sat. She grimaced at the taste as she swallowed the dose before coughing a few more times. When her cough finally quieted, Lizzy realized that someone was knocking on her door. Opening it, she found a distressed Sissy standing on the other side.

"Lizzy, you can't speak to Kingy like that," the little goblin stated without preamble.

"He had no right prodding me about my past like that," Lizzy replied irritably, "That is private!"

"He is Kingy," Sissy answered, "He has every right."

Lizzy sighed, covering her face with her hands and tried to tramp down her irritation. After all Sissy could not be held at fault for the King's actions.

"Lizzy, you can't speak to Kingy like that," Sissy repeated urgently, placing a hand on Lizzy's arm to get her attention, "He could send you to the Bog of Eternal Stench."

"The what?" Lizzy said, a confused laugh escaping her.

"The Bog of Eternal Stench," Sissy repeated with a shudder, "You don't want to be sent there. It's terrible."

"It can't be worse than being stuck here with _**him**_ for the rest of my life," Lizzy muttered.

Sissy just shook her head, patted Lizzy on the arm, then walked away to head back to her work.

The next month passed slowly for Lizzy as she tried her best to avoid the King. Occasionally she would see him in a hall or room, causing her to turn and walk in another direction. A couple of times she caught him with the picture in his hand, clearly taunting her with the knowledge that he still had it.

" _Don't do it, Lizzy,"_ she thought to herself one day as she turned to walk out of a room he was in and tried to ignore his taunting chuckle, " _Don't give him the satisfaction."_

Though the King's new way of goading her definitely got under her skin, and made time seem to pass more slowly, pass the month did and as the new month started Lizzy noticed something different. As the days passed, everyone seemed to get quieter and more somber. The King, the increasingly fewer times she saw him, seemed paler as if he were sick. His face took on an ashen color and even his hair seemed to change from golden blond to ash white. Finally, when the King had not been seen anywhere in the castle for several days, Lizzy went and asked Sissy about the change in everyone.

"Anniversary day is coming up," Sissy replied in a sad voice, "Kingy won't be around for a while longer. This time of year makes him sad, so everyone is sad."

"Anniversary day?" Lizzy asked, having not heard about this before now, "Anniversary of what?"

Sissy looked around nervously, as if scared someone would overhear our conversion.

"The Day the Champion won," Sissy whispered lowly.

"Won?" Lizzy asked in confusion, "Won what?"

" _Why would a Champion winning something be a cause for mourning?"_ she thought, " _Sounds like they should be celebrating."_

Sissy only motioned over her shoulder toward the window. Lizzy looked over in confusion, as the window looked out on a field at the back of the castle ending at the wall of the Labyrinth where it continued as far as the eye could see.

"Wait, you don't mean… The Labyrinth?!" Lizzy asked in a shocked tone that had Sissy shushing her, "Someone actually beat that thing? Who?"

Sissy shook her head in obvious fear.

"Kingy does not like it when we speak of it," she replied, "It's against the law to even speak her name."

With this said, Sissy quickly walked away, leaving Lizzy with far more questions than answers. 

* * *

A couple of days passed with no sign of the King anywhere, causing Lizzy's curiosity to grow.

" _Is he really that much of a sore loser that he cannot face it that someone actually beat him?"_ she thought one day as she swept the throne room, " _Is his ego really that huge?"_

As she continued to sweep, shaking her head at the childishness of such a response, her eyes were drawn to the stairs as an idea hit her.

" _Maybe if I can find out what he is hiding up there, then I will have something on his as well,"_ she thought, remembering that he still had that picture, " _Then, maybe, I can beat him at his own game too!"_

Lizzy leaned her broom against a wall, looking around apprehensively, and took a few steps toward the stairs before stopping.

" _Are you really going to do this?"_ she thought as she stood at the base of the stairs indecisively, " _What if doing this just causes more problems than it could potentially solve?"_

Lizzy looked around her, trying to decide what to do, when the memory of the picture suddenly loomed large in her mind, making her angry all over again.

" _It's not like he's had any second thoughts about tormenting me!"_ she thought as she headed up the stairs determinedly.

* * *

"Live without your sunlight… Love without you heartbeat…," Jareth sang softly to himself as he leaned against a wall and gazed into a crystal, "I… I… can't … live… within… you…"

Jareth continued to stare into the crystal, observing Sarah as she celebrated the birth of her new granddaughter with her family and friends. She was currently cuddling her new grandbaby and, as he watched, her husband bent over her shoulder to look at the little girl before placing a tender kiss on Sarah's cheek. Jareth had to look away as jealousy ripped through him at the sight. Sarah had grown into a beautiful and accomplished woman, just as he had always known she would. However, the one thing that had not changed as she matured was the fact that she still wanted nothing to do with him. He had tried to tempt her to come back by sending her a present on her 21st birthday.

***** Flashback*****

Jareth watched nervously as Sarah came through the door to her apartment after celebrating her birthday with some friends. Smiling, she shut her door, turned on the light and set her presents on her couch. He watched as she turned toward her kitchen before stopping with a confused look on her face. Sitting on her kitchen table was a small box wrapped in midnight blue paper and topped with a silver bow. She approached it cautiously, obviously confused as to how it gotten there. Picking it up, she unwrapped it and tipped the box over only to have a ripe peach roll out onto her hand. Sarah stared at it in shock for a moment, before looking around.

"Jareth," she called out, sounding surprisingly angry, "I know you are watching."

Jareth had leaned forward a bit, anxious to hear what she would say next. She held the peach up, squeezing it so hard that her nails punctured the delicate skin, causing juice to run down her hand.

"I am _**never**_ coming back, so stop trying," she snapped causing him to recoil in shock at her anger.

Sarah then walked over to her sliding glass door, opened it and threw the peach as hard as she could from her second story balcony. The fruit hit the parking lot below, bounced once, before splitting in half. Then, to add insult to injury, a car ran it over. She then slammed the door shut before turning back to glare into the empty room.

"Don't ever contact me again," she snarled, "You still have no power over me!"

*****End Flashback*****

Jareth leaned back against the wall, lowered the crystal and placed a hand over his eyes. He did know why he did this to himself. Why he tormented himself every year. Sarah was not coming back… she wanted nothing to do with him… she didn't… love… him. This knowledge tore threw him, leaving him in excruciating pain. An ache that just would not go away, no matter how he tried to distract himself. Jareth sighed again, he knew he could not stay hidden away here forever. He needed to get back to work. On this thought, he pushed himself away from the wall only for a sudden sound to catch his attention. Jareth leaned out to see what the sound was, confused as no one was allowed in here.

" _What was…"_ he thought before he spotted the source of the sound and absolute rage overtook him.

" _What is she doing in here!"_ he seethed before disappearing.

* * *

Lizzy reached the top of the stairs and pushed open a heavy door covered in ornate carvings. Walking through she suddenly found herself in a room like she had never seen before. Everything was made of a gold colored brick and everywhere she looked there were stairs and arches going every which way. Some were sideways, some upside down and still others right side up.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed as she turned in circles to take it all in and not noticing how her voice echoed throughout the room.

" _I'm not the best at physics,"_ she thought in astonishment, " _But I am pretty sure this is not how it's supposed to work."_

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!" The Goblin King's voice suddenly bellowed, causing Lizzy's heart to drop as she looked around for him.

A sudden sound caused her to slowly look down, only to gasp in shock when she found him standing upside down beneath her, glaring up at her in rage with his arm crossed over his chest.

" _Uh oh,"_ she thought, taking a step back.

"Answer me, Elizabeth," his voice suddenly came from behind her, causing her to turn quickly to face him. In doing so her foot suddenly slipped over the edge of the landing.

Lizzy's eyes flew wide as she started falling backward, only for Jareth to step forward and grab her upper arms in a bruising grip. They stayed like that for a moment, with her almost dangling in midair, before everything blurred around them. Lizzy shook her head, trying to rid herself of the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her, before realizing they were back in the throne room. Almost before the dizziness had dissipated, Jareth let go of Lizzy, causing her to yelp shrilly in alarm before landing in the small pit among a few goblins.

"Everyone out!" he snarled, causing Lizzy and the goblins to scramble up.

"Not you Elizabeth!" he called angrily.

" _I knew going in there was a bad idea,"_ she thought to herself with a sigh, " _This is what happens when you act on impulse."_

"What were you doing in that room?!" Jareth asked angrily.

"I was curious. Okay," Lizzy answered snarkily.

"Curious?" he asked Incredulously, "You were told to _**never**_ go in there!"

"Oh, so you are allowed to poke and prod at me about my past," Lizzy snarled back at him, "But I am not allowed to do the same to you… hypocrite!"

"Elizabeth!" he snapped the anger in his eyes silencing her for a moment.

"I have been generous up til now with your disrespect," he growled, " _ **Do not**_ _**defy me again!**_ "

"Or you'll what?" Lizzy retorted mockingly, "Throw me in the Bog of Eternal Stench."

"I don't know how much good that will do," he replied hotly, "Seeing as, unlike my other subjects, you don't seem to possess the intelligence to fear it… or me!"

"However," he continued taking a few steps closer, backing Lizzy up to the edge of the pit again, "I can do something _**much**_ worse."

Saying this, he lifted a hand and brushed his fingers lightly against Lizzy's forehead causing her to flinch back from his touch.

"I can find out what truly terrifies you and bring it to life right before your eyes," he threatened, a crystal appearing in his hand.

"Oh, would you look at that," he sneered as an image appeared in the crystal, "Such a common fear."

Seeing the image in the crystal, Lizzy's throat suddenly went tight as fear flooded her.

"Do we have an understanding," Jareth asked sternly.

"Yes," Lizzy said lowly, looking away from him and the image in the crystal.

"Yes, what?" he growled.

"Yes, Your Highness," she said through clenched teeth.

"That's better," he sneered and turned to walk to his throne.

Lizzy, taking this as a dismissal, turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" he stopped her.

"I thought we were done," she said quickly, still trying to edge toward the door.

"Done?" he said sharply, "Oh no, your punishment is just beginning."

"Punishment?" Lizzy swallowed hard, "What are you going…"

She stopped as everything suddenly blurred around her and a wave of dizziness caused her to fall flat on her rear.

The next thing she heard was the King stating, "Just because I said that I did not know how much good it would do, does not mean that you shouldn't experience the bog for yourself."

Finally, as the dizziness left her, she heard, "Two weeks should do."


End file.
